Lecture 1, Intro Introduction to the course -History of astronomy and science -Definition of life -Scientific model

Darwinian definition of lifea system capable of evolution of natural selectionHistoryBabyloniansMayans 2500 BCE predicted eclipses and other astronomical phenomenaEarly Greeks 500 BCE life extends beyond earth600 BCE Thales asks what the universe is made of450 BCE Anaxagoras panspermia seeds of life are ubiquitous in universe really just a take on abiogenesisDemocritus 400 BCE atomic theory lead to belief in extraterrestrial lifeAristotle 350 BCEfour elements on Earth and quintessence in heavensWestern and Christian thought Earth and Man are specialBruno 1600 burned for heretical beliefsCopernicus 15001700 heliocentric principle of mediocriteBrahe Kepler and Newton made careful observations and developed rules